Hold
on to your horses! Irish Meadows
is a book that races on with its many plot twists and colorful characters!
Irish
Meadows is a Long Island estate, home of the O’Leary family. The O’Learys board, breed, and train
racehorses, but there are rumors of a ban on racing, which threatens the
livelihood of the family. James O’Leary,
and his father before him, have worked too hard to get where they are, to lose
it all now. James gets desperate, and
sees opportunities for advancing his business by making alliances, through his
adult children, with his wealthy and well-connected clientele and
neighbors. His children all have their
own dreams, which don’t line up with their father’s wishes.
What
a cast of characters!
James,
the father, the domineering head of the household
Kathleen,
the mother, and the spiritual head of the household
Colleen,
the beautiful older daughter, who is not afraid to use her looks to her
advantage
Brianna,
the intelligent and personable younger daughter, who longs for the love and
acceptance of her father
Gil,
an orphaned young man, who has been taken in as one of the family; fiercely
loyal to James, and grateful for his support, especially since James funded his
education
Adam,
the older brother, who is resentful of Gil’s place in the family
Rylan,
a distant cousin from Ireland, who is staying with the family while he
completes his seminary studies
Deirdre
and Connor, younger siblings who are cute and don’t cause trouble
Sometimes
outrageous, sometimes tender, sometimes passionate, sometimes desperate, this
book has it all. The first of the
Courage to Dream series by debut novelist Susan Anne Mason, it is filled with
lessons learned by each character, and the transformations each goes through as
they learn to rely on God and seek His will in their lives.
I
really loved the quick pace and was amazed at the many plot twists, and the
solidly developed characters. I
recommend this book for those who like romance and historical fiction. I’m certainly looking forward to reading the
next book in the series.
And,
the cover is absolutely captivating.
I
received a copy of this book from the publisher, Bethany House, in exchange for
an honest review, which I have given.
About the author:
Susan Anne Mason’s debut historical novel, Irish Meadows, won the Fiction from the
Heartland contest from the Mid-American Romance Chapters of RWA. A member of ACFW, as well, she lives outside
of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and two children. She can be found online at www.susanannemason.com.
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